When I say the word, “Twitter,” what do you think of? Feverish rants? Lethal trolls? Inane hashtags? I mean, you’re not wrong. Twitter has always been my unfiltered social media. Not a lot of my personal friends are on it. It’s where my brain goes to relieve itself. It can be utter nonsense, random thoughts of the day, and so forth. However, recently, Twitter has become a lot more to me than just a brain dumpster.

My dear writers, there is actually a great reason to be on Twitter. And it’s called the #WritingCommunity (other aliases include #WritersCommunity and the infamous #WritingCommmunity–spelling is hard, okay?). It’s a hashtag, but it’s a lot more than that. It’s a sprawling, diverse group of writers across the world. And everyone (for the most part) is WELCOMING! Twitter is a scary place but the #WritingCommunity is not. Every day, someone is doing a fellow writer follow thread so that we can all connect.

It’s full of writing prompts, writer woes & frustrations, good news, bad news, and just a real sense of community. And everyone is different, too. Bubbly writers, dark writers, experienced writers, and new ones. I’ve found a lot of writing tips, contests, resources, articles, and help there.

Writing can be a lonely endeavor. The act itself is solitary. You may not have writer friends (I know I don’t have many), but you can find a wealth of writer friends on Twitter. If you’re writing, revising, editing, or even thinking of anything like it, I encourage you check out the #WritingCommunity. It’s full of lovely people who can inspire you and commiserate with you. We’re always having fun even if our eyes and brains are bleeding from exhaustion and/or frustration.

Happy Writing! Follow me at @alanathehangry and I’ll follow you back.